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Posted in Methods, Writing

Rewrite- How to?

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Finishing a manuscript is one of the greatest accomplishments you can achieve. It’s tough work starting from scratch and typing up the last word but the rewards are great. However, sometimes, well, most of the times, it doesn’t end there. Next, comes editing and for the most part, this also includes rewriting some scenes, entire chapters, or maybe even the entire story.

There are many ways to edit a manuscript and there are many different ways it can be done depending on the writer. However, the most important part is to let the manuscript sit for a while before actually starting to edit it. If the story is still ‘fresh’ in your mind then you won’t be able to notice anything wrong with it. The time away from the manuscript depends on the person.

I liked to find a few close friends/beta readers and ask them to read my manuscript. Not only do I take some time off but it also gives me something to wait on e.g. critiques/comments. It’s also during this time that I like to look over my characters and notes. I’m not looking to change anything but I do think about the ways in which I wrote my characters and if I brought them to life on the page. I also tend to replay key scenes in my head and re-imagine them. What would happen if I change this particular line of dialogue? Or what if I make my character do this instead?

Although I keep repeating myself I will always say that no one method of editing is wrong or right. One way may work better for one person than another.

It’s also a good idea, I found, to convert your manuscript into a .pdf file and read it like a book. You can’t edit and it forces you to read your story without being able to change anything. I typically do this during my waiting time, looking specifically for sentences that don’t really make sense or could use improvement and for small typos. Usually when I read my manuscript I can get a hint of what is missing but they aren’t set in stone until I get back some comments. Usually, my suspicions are correct and some comments point out things that need improvements.

Taking critiques comes with a grain of salt. Some people might respond differently to your writing and that’s okay. Ultimately, it’s your choice as a writer that counts. If the plot is lacking, you usually have to rewrite the entire story but even then that’s nothing to feel dishearten about. I have rewritten one manuscript five times, from scratch, and though it has taken over five years to make it feel right,  it’s the best possible version that it could be. Scenes can be written and so can dialogue.

As long as you’re willing to make changes and abandon some things then rewriting will be easier. Accept the fact that it won’t be easy to begin with and go from there.

Posted in Writing

Child as a Narrator

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

For the past few weeks I have been writing about a childhood memory for one of my creative writing classes. There’s nothing special about this memory. It just happens to be the one that I remembered at that moment. It also happens to be the time when I started to doubt that Santa was real.

For the assignment, we had to write it with a child mentality. Yes, it was really difficult because this has been like ten years ago. I was completely in denial despite all the evidence pointing the other way. I guess my professor should have called it a creative non-fiction piece. There’s no doubt that kids are smart but how do you draw a balance between what you know now and what you didn’t know back then?

I have so much respect for middle grade authors and children’s book authors. It helps that I have to write this story in third person because it creates a distance between the story, the narrator and myself. Best part is that I can’t write it as if I was the protagonist. It has to be another person altogether.

So, it’s still fiction with a hint of truth. However, when it’s so personal, is there a way to not think of yourself as a character? Would you use yourself as a character? Come to think of it, this is probably the hardest exercise I have to write. I don’t want to talk down to my readers but complexity would be harder to write.

This is just something to think about. How do you strike a balance between your age and someone younger or even older even when the memory is close to you?

Posted in Uncategorized

Moving On

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

Last time, I mentioned that I sent out a few query letters. While was obsessing over refreshing my email app on my phone, I finally got a reply. My heart lurched forward and I read it. I was rejected . . . not personally, but my book. My emotions were almost instant: aww and okay. Those are what I remember. After researching and reading articles online, I knew that there was probably a little chance for my novel to get picked up right off that bat. I believe it is that knowledge that softened the blow. I wasn’t exactly sad. I think it was more of nonchalance (hmm, not sure I used that right).

I wasn’t exactly sad. I just accepted it. My obsession from waiting for a reply to my query letters now moved to waiting to hear back for a job. Either way, getting rejected was an eye opener. I need o have more patience because agents have lives and they have jobs and it’s not their fault I didn’t do a good job. That sounds like I’m blaming myself but I’m not. I feel good. Some people would argue that I’m in denial or hiding my feelings but I see myself as a positive person and I’m aware that there are some things that I can’t control.

Heck, receiving no emails is also a form of rejection. I might have been already rejected for a lot of things. Either way, I just got keep trying. I’m not giving up. Life it like a manuscript: you got keep editing  . . . or something like that.

Posted in Events, Uncategorized, Writing

Life as Experience

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

“Write what you know.”

Many of us find this advice in articles on the web or in magazines. It isn’t a bad piece of advice but it can act as a double edged sword. What if you don’t have a lot of experience in traveling or gardening or martial arts but you’re writing about these topics?Do I have to sign up for a martial arts class? Do I have the finances to take that gardening class or to travel? For the majority of people, the answer will be “no” most of the time and that’s okay.

We can ask an expert or look online for information. We can go on forums and read what people say about vacation spots. Thanks to the Internet, there are way for us to explore the world without breaking the bank. Who knows, maybe on day you’ll be the one writing about martial arts and gardening tips.  In this way, we won’t be restricted or bored of writing what you know. It’s not always boring because life experiences can be very valuable in adding texture and depth in a story but at times, this isn’t always the case, and so it is a good thing to have some variation.

This past week I attended a Disturbed concert and yes, it was amazing. This was also my first concert and it was totally worth it. Now, you’re probably wondering by I bragged a bit but I’m getting there. On Wattpad, I read a lot of books aimed at young adults and most often than not, there is a chapter or a scene where a characters goes to a house party and they talk about all the sweat and the lack of space. A concert is not different – not really. The raging music and the crowd of people are on the mark. I can use my experience of going to a concert in my writing because I have lived through it and maybe I don’t write about a character attending a concert but the experience can be tweaked to fit another scenario.

Whether good or bad experience, it doesn’t really matter. There is nothing easy about life and if it was, I don’t think it would be very interesting and exciting. So, you can write what you know and you can look up things you don’t. I’ll leave you with one piece of advice. Next time you go to a concert, bring ear plugs. They won’t cancel out the noise (not that you would want to) but your ears will be grateful.

Posted in Uncategorized

Updates on Life

Posted on by Kassandra Carrillo

I didn’t post anything Friday because I was without WiFi for an entire week and I had no signal on my phone. In order to compensate, I’ll post something today and continue with my regular schedule on Friday.

A few months ago I finished my manuscript and edited as far as I could with a lot of help by my friends. I am happy to say that I sent out a few query letters a couple of weeks ago and I’m waiting anxiously for a reply. Or in some cases, no replies at all. It’s not like I don’t have much hope but I’m being realistic. A contract isn’t going to land on my lap though a girl can hope.

Thinking back on writing this novel, I started it writing during NaNoWriMo 2012 and I was able to finish. After three years a few months, I was able to finish the rewrite and it’s been such a long journey. I never thought I would finish because school had its priorities but somehow I made it to the end. So, now I’m writing the second book and preparing for the long road of rejection and writing but it is a good feeling. After all, I don’t want to be anything else but a writer.